SOURCE: Mrs. David O. Hamrick, December 1986

SIZE: 5 linear feet

SHELVING UNITS: 11 manuscript boxes

1 photograph folder

PROCESSING: RAA, January 1987

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Winnie Bassett was born 21 May 1901 in LaGrange, Georgia, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson Bassett, Jr. and Sarah Clementine Gladney. As a young woman she worked for the City of LaGrange and as a civil service employee in Washington, D.C. In 1942 she married Major Charles Lynn Seacord, Sr. In 1949 they moved to Bradenton, Florida, where they lived until Major Seacord's death in the early 1960s.

In 1964 Mrs. Ellis married John N. Robinson, Brigadier General USA, Retired. General and Mrs. Robinson were active in the retired military community at Bradenton. Noted for her gracious entertaining, Mrs. Robinson was a "Lady of the Ribbon" of the Military Order of the World Wars.

During this period she conducted most of her genealogical research. She was a member of the Florida Genealogical Society and a founding member of the Manatee Genealogical Society. As a member of the Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, she was the organizing officer of that organization's Manatee and Sarasota County chapter, the William Bassett Chapter. Members chose to name their chapter in honor of Mrs. Robinson's ancestor. She was also a member of the Florida Chapter of Magna Charta Dames.

General Robinson died 6 May 1978 in Bradenton. In 1981, Mrs. Robinson married Colonel D. Detreville Ellis.

Mrs. Ellis intended to publish her family's genealogy, but the assistance which she continually gave to others, and her failing health prevented her from attaining her goal. She died 30 March 1986. In accordance with her will, her genealogical books

were given to the Manatee County Library in Bradenton and her papers were donated to Troup County Archives.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Mrs. Ellis's ancestors include the Bassetts, Freemans, Gladneys, Haynes and other families and other families who have lived in the western part of Troup County since the 1830s. About 1964, Mrs. Ellis began compiling her genealogy through correspondence from her home in Florida and extensive travel to archives and libraries in the Southeast. She relied heavily on secondary sources (published material) to document her lineage, rather than primary sources such as wills, deeds, and court records. The bulk of this collection consists of notes and photocopies that she made during her research trips.

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 Bassett family Folder

1-3 Research notes

4 Typed notes

5 Published data (photocopies)

6-9 The Earliest Bassetts

10-11 Eli Bassett of South Carolina and Georgia 12-13 Ezekiel Bassett and Descendants

14-16 John Bassett and Descendants

17-19 William P. and John N. Bassett, Sons of John and Agatha Bassett 20-22 Kilby and Rebecca Bassett

Box 2 Bassett family

Folder

1-2 Nathaniel Bassett

3 Richard Bassett - Revolutionary War service

4-6 Richard Bassett Sr. and Richard Bassett Jr.

7 Richard Bassett of Delaware

8 Thomas Bassett, William Bassett (1687)

9-11 Thomas Bassett Sr.

12-14 Thomas Bassett Jr.

15-16 Bassetts of Eltham, New Kent County, Virginia

17 Alabama Bassetts

18 South Carolina Bassetts

19 Bassetts of Lynn, Massachusetts and Salem County, New Jersey

20 Bassett-Traylor family

21 Bassett-Underwood family

Box 3 Bassett family correspondence Folder

1-5 Bassett descendants

6 Mrs. Earnest B. Buzzard

7 Burt Greenman

8-11 Lodie Mae McClendon

12 Bessie Wilton

Box 4 Freeman family

Folder

1-2 Research notes

3-4 Typed notes and abstracts

5 Pedigree charts

6 James Freeman estate records, Troup County, Georgia

7 Wills and deeds, Troup County, Georgia

8 Wills: Robert Freeman, Oglethorpe County, Georgia

Thomas Freeman, Norfolk County, Virginia

W.S. Freeman, Talladega County, Alanama

9 Wills, North Carolina

10 Deeds, Tennessee

11 Samuel Freeman, North Carolina, Revolutionary War service record 12-18Published data (photocopies)

19 Freeman Forebears by Garland Evans Hopkins (photocopy)

Box 5 Freeman family

Folder

1 DAR papers of Carma Ethalyn Hinde, descendant of Samuel Freeman

2 DAR papers of Elizabeth Prescott, descendant of William Freeman

3-5 Jamestowne Society, application and proofs of descent from Bridges Freeman

6 Correspondence - historical agencies, libraries, publishers

7 Correspondence - Society of Mayflower Descendants, Mrs. A.H. Vollertsen 8-11 Correspondence - Freeman descendants

Box 6 Surname files Folder

1-3 Arnett

4 Bacon

5 Brewster, William

6 Burwell Family of Bedford and Northampton in England, and Glouster County, Virginia

7 Carys of Bristol, England and Warwick County, Virginia

8 Clower, Rebecca, wife of Kilby Bassett

9 Coker-Bassett family

10 Crews

11 Cunningham

12 Davis

13 Duckworth

14 Duncan

15 Ellis, Jonathan

16 Fleming, Robert

17-20Gladney

Box 7 Surname files Folder

1 Glazier

2 Goolsby/Goldsby 3-11 Haynes

12 Heard

13 Hendrick, John, son of John Moses Hendrick

14 Hendrick

15 Higginson family of Berkswell, Warwick, England and Virginia

16 Holliday/Holladay

17-19Langley

20 Mackey

21 Mason

22 McClendon

23 Miers

24 Mobley

25 More, Sir Thomas, 1487-1535; Moore, Thomas, Irish poet, 1779-1852; Moore, Sir John, 1761-1809

Box 8 Surname files and miscellaneous records Folder

1 Morris

2-3 Morris, Spencer and Sarah Bassett

4 Parham

5 Posey

6 Raines/Rainey

7 Reid/Reed/Read

8 Robertson

9 Robinson family of Yorkshire, England and Middlesex County, Virginia

10 Ross-Bassett family, Jack and Millie Ross of Indianola, Mississippi

11 Rutland

12-13Seacord

14 Smith family of Colchester, Essex, England

15-18Steadham

19 Taylor

20 Traylor

21 Tuggle/Tugwell/Togel/Toegel

22 Underwood

23 Ussery

24 Whatley family of Georgia and Alabama

25 Wilkes

26 Papers and talks by Winnie Bassett Seacord Robinson Ellis

Box 9-11 Research note pads

PHOTOGRAPH INVENTORY

1 Arnett Kitty Bassett, n.d.

2 Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Underwood, 1961

3 Winnie and John Robinson, 1969

4 Jane Smith and Melna Garner Market, 1969

5 Mr. and Mrs. Clarence C. Smith, 1969

6 Clara Gaither, Lodie Mae McClendon, and Corine Floyd, 1969

7 Marian and Omer Lou Bassett, 1969

8 Bassett Cousins Reunion, 1968

9 Nancy Matilda Gladney (?), n.d.

10 Melton Freeman Gladney, n.d.

RELATED COLLECTIONS AT TROUP COUNTY ARCHIVES MS 38, Janie Lovelace Heard Collection

TRACINGS

Arnett family

Bassett family

Freeman family

Gladney family

Haynes family

Holliday family

Morris family

Steadham family